(ʟᴏᴠᴇʀʙᴏʏ!)//sʜɪʀʙᴇʀᴛ

xix.

gilbert looked at his packed bags that filled his room.

he was leaving for seven months with jerry, charlie, ethan, xavier, and clark. their national tour began plus many press conferences, interviews, and filming for other people. 

seven months with no anne. again, it was radio silence on both ends after their second kiss and gilbert couldn't sleep because of it. he craved her touch. the way she kisses him so lightly yet so passionately. he was addicted after two kisses and needed more.

gilbert wanted to text and call her but he couldn't find the right words to say. "hey, i love you. even though the last time i said it you freaked out." he grabbed his phone and hovered his finger over the call button of her contact, thinking of what to do next. call her and make a fool of himself or remain heartbroken? his throat went dry as he stared at her contact photo. how can one human be so beautiful? he thought. 

he had so much he wanted to tell her but nothing he could say would be good enough for her. she deserved the world and he can't give it to her. 

"let's go! we are going to be late!" ethan yelled from the front door. "the car is packed! all we need is you! gilbert blythe, i swear i will beat your ass! and that's a promise!" he looked at his phone one more time and threw it in his bag. he walked to ethan, bags in hands. he was out of patience for gilbert at this point. "you can brood on the bus but right now, we are late!"

the car ride was painfully silent. everyone tired due to waking up at five thirty on a saturday. xavier laid his head on cole's shoulder, not wanting to leave his boyfriend for so long. as the sun began to rise, the big bus came into sight with jerry and clark in view with it too. bags scattered on the road near the bus. this was going to be his life for the next seven months.

✵

"i like it so far." daisy sipped on her coffee, reading anne's paper. "cordelia is such a strong female character! being a princess and still fighting the villain secretly. very original! the one thing that is lacking here is, passion. i get she is saving her kingdom but you wrote a budding relationship between her and alfred, the villain. it's clear you want them to be together but there is some sort of tension keeping them apart, ya know? they were almost killed together until cordelia saved his life, after that you thought something would happen. plus, you threw in that almost kiss and left it at that. it needs more!"

"what do you mean?" anne put her glasses on top of her head while trying to study the pages of her writing. 

"they need to break out of that awkward bubble they are in of being 'friends' and confess their love. yes, alfred does bad things but cordelia sees pass that and knows he can change with her help. find a breaking point!" she checked her watch and sighed. "i have to go meet my fiance right now but your story is amazing! try adding more love though!"

anne couldn't stop thinking about what daisy had said about her character's. find a breaking point. what does that even mean? ruby and jane saw their friend in a confused state.

"anne, you good?" jane spoke up. all she did was nod. "you sure?" same response. "anyways, i can't believe the boys are leaving tomorrow! seven months without ethan."

"what?" anne snapped out of her thoughts quickly. 

"the guys are leaving tomorrow for their tour. like around the world. we are seeing them tomorrow morning if you want to come say goodbye to them by the old mall. gilbert will be there." ruby said trailing off with his name.

gilbert has been blocking her brain since the night of her concert. the thought of his smile made her weak in the knees. she wanted to spend every moment with him but she ruined things enough between them. he wouldn't wait that long for her. a girl who has lead him on too many times to count. "i have a meeting with daisy about my book, sorry!"

the rest of the night she read over her book and realized how much it reflected her own life with gilbert. how even though they have been through the toughest of times, they still managed to find a way to continue to love each other. there is no way she is letting him go. she saw her digital clock on her desk blink five thirty. "it's now or never, shirley." she threw on a hoodie and watched as the sun came up. she stared at herself in the mirror, red hair leaving her bun and her glasses pushed against her face. she took a deep breath and smiled. she was going to do it. a letter laid perfectly folded with his name written beautifully, placing it in her pocket.

she ran to her car that sat in the campus parking lot. she pulled out and drove to the old mall that was shut down in the eighties. the bus sat there, people all around. jane and ruby talked to their boyfriends as did cole. everyone was engaged in conversation besides gilbert. he just stared into the woods next to the bus. he looked upset and confused. the driver yelled something and everyone began to hug one another, not wanting to leave. the boys piled onto the bus, gilbert being last. she closed her eyes and opened the door. "gilbert blythe." she yelled, causing him to turn around. his face lit up as she jogged over his way. his mouth was about to open nut she stopped him. "me first, thanks. i've been up all night thinking about you. just you. and all the shit we've been through. plus, the shit i put you through. als-you know what that is not important. what's important is that i love you. i've always loved you. even when i couldn't say it, i loved you. i've always wanted to be with you but things got in the way." she grabbed the letter from her pocket and put it in his hands. "thank you for all you've done for me. getting me to where i am today. i love you. have fun and be safe." she was about to turn around when gilbert laughed.

"you are seriously are about to leave after saying all of that without me kissing you? c'mon shirley, you should know better!" he pulled her closer, their faces inches apart.

"damn, i wanted to be the person who did the first move." gilbert rolled his eyes and kissed her. out of all of the kisses they shared, this was his favorite. after a minute, they pulled away. "i have a book to write." she gave him a quick peck and sprinted back to her car. before she shut the door, she yelled. "I LOVE YOU, GILBERT BLYTHE. COME HOME SOMEDAY." 

"I LOVE YOU MORE, ANNE SHIRLEY-CUTHBERT BUT NO PROMISES!" he waved and got on the bus. she leaned against her car door and watched as the bus drove away, further and further away from her.